Shuttle loom

ABSTRACT

A sley is provided with a track along which shuttles are movable. A guide is provided for guiding a weft thread which is to be engaged and inserted by the shuttle into a warp shed. An engaging arrangement is provided on the shuttles for engaging the thread, and a cutting arrangement is provided for cutting the inserted weft thread. A holding arrangement holds the severed thread. A mounting arrangement mounts the holding arrangement, the cutting arrangement and the guide arrangement on the sley for common movement transverse to the track between an operative position in which they are all located over the track, and a retracted position.

States Patent 1191 Rossborg Dec. 3, 1974 [54] SHUTTLE LOOM 3,543,80912/1970 Laval 139/125 [75] Inventor: Werner Rossborg, Hamburg, FOREIGNPATENTS OR APPLICATIONS Germany 501,078 2/1971 Switzerland 139/122 [73]Assignee: Alia-Laval Bergedorfer Eisenwerke GmbH, Hamburg, GermanyPrzmary Examiner-Henry S. Jaudon Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Michael S.Striker [22] Filed; Aug. 13, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 387,068 [57] ABSTRACT[22] Filed; Aug 13 1973 A sky is provided with a track along whichshuttles are movable. A guide is provided for guiding a weft PP .2 38,068 thread which is to be engaged and inserted by the shuttle into awarp shed. An engaging arrangement is [521 US. Cl. 139/125 ProvidedShuttles engaging the thread and 511 1111.0. D03d 47/24 D03j 5/06 acutting arrangement is Provided cutting the [58] Field of Search 139/122R i 22 N 123 thread- A hlding arrangement hlds the 139/125 126 1 R 1severed thread. A mounting arrangement mounts the holding arrangement,the cutting arrangement and the [56] References Cited guide arrangementon the sley for common movement transverse to the track between anoperative position UNITED STATES PATENTS in which they are all locatedover the track, and a re- 2,553,351 5/1951 Belotti 139/127 actedposition 3,014,505 12/1961 Herard et al 139/126 3,157,208 11/1964Juillard 139/127 21 Clalms, 13 Drawing Flglres PATENIL' JEn 319143,851,677,

sum 8 or 8 Fig.7!

Fig. 12

snm'rm LooM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relatesgenerally to a shuttle loom, and more particularly to a shuttle loomhaving an arrangement for insertionof weft threads into a warp shed.

Shuttle looms of this type are already known. It is necessary when thewarp shed is opened, to insert a weft thread whereupon the warp shed isclosed and the weft thread newly inserted is beaten-up by a reed againstthe previously inserted weft thread. In the priorart constructions thearrangements for supplying the weft thread and for releasing the weftthread from the shuttles after insertion of the weft thread into thewarp shed, are provided on the shuttle boxes, or else are so constructedthat the particular loom can be used only for producing a certainspecific fixed fabric width, because the severing of the inserted weftthread otherwise cannot take place near the fabric edge. This means thatthe prior-art constructions of the type in question can be changed forproducing different-width fabrics only with great difficulties, whichare evidently time consuming. In many conditions, particularly wherefelt fabrics are to be woven, this is not acceptable because in suchcircumstances it is frequently necessary that the loom must be capableof weaving fabrics of substantially different width.

Other arrangements for inserting the weft thread which are known fromthe prior art, are suitable only for fabrics of small width and/or theycannot be utilized by being added later to already existing looms.

When the weft thread which has beenv inserted into the warp shed, isreleased from the shuttle the end of the released weft thread can snapback under its own tension into the not yet closed warp shed, whichleads to faults in the weave and may make it necessary to interrupt theweaving operation in order to correct the fault. It is known from theprior art to avoid this problem by utilizing thread catchers whichengage the thread while it is still held by the shuttle and maintain ittaut until the reed has beaten-up the inserted weft thread, whereuponthe end of the weft thread is drawn out of the thread catcher as thesley retracts. This type of thread catcher must be located closelyadjacent the edge of the fabric being woven, in order to maintain thethread-cutting losses as small as possible, and because the arrangementsfor supplying the weft thread to the shuttle, the holding and thecutting arrangement as well as the arrangements for releasing the weftthread from the shuttle must also be located between the shuttle box andthe edge of the fabric, very little space is available for the threadcatchers, especially because in looms the tendency is to use the widthof the loom to the maximum extent possible for producing acorresponding-width fabric.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is a general object of the present inventionto overcome the disadvantages of the prior art.

More particularly it is an object of the present invention to provide animproved shuttle loom which avoids these disadvantages. I

Still more particularly it is an object of the invention to provide, ina shuttle loom, an arrangement for inserting a weft thread which is notpossessed of the aforementioned disadvantages.

Another object of the invention is to provide such an arrangement whichcan be utilized for various different types of shuttle looms, includingbroad-weave looms.

Another object of the invention is to provide such an arrangement whichpermits a simple re-adjustment of the loom for different fabric widths,without time consuming problems.

Another object of the invention is to provide such an arrangement whichholds the losses due to cutting-off of thread to a minimum.

Still a further objection of the invention is to provide such anarrangement which can be added later to already existing looms, withoutany substantial difficulties. Still a further object of the invention isto provide such an arrangement wherein the thread catcher simultaneouslycan serve to disengage the weft thread from the shuttle, and in whichthis disengagement as well as the engagement of the thread by the threadengager can take place closely adjacent to the edge of the fabric, withthe construction and operation of the various devices beingsubstantially simplified.

In keeping with the above objects, and with others which will becomeapparent hereafter, one feature of the invention resides, in a shuttleloom, in a combination comprising a sley, a shuttle track on said sley,at least one shuttle having gripper means for releasably engaging a weftthread to be inserted by said shuttle into a warp shed. Guide means areprovided for guiding a weft thread drawn from a weft thread supply intothe path of said gripper means of said shuttle. Cutting means isprovided for cutting the inserted weft thread so as to sever an insertedportion thereof from a supply portion thereof. Holding means is providedfor holding the severed supplied portion, mounting means mount the guidemeans, cutting means and holding means on the sley for common movementtraverse to the track between a laterally retracted position and anoperative position in which the guide means are located above the pathof said shuttle on said track, and said cutting means and said holdingmeans are located below said guide means for movement between an openposition located in the path of movement of said shuttle, and a closedposition located below the path of movement of said shuttle. Saidcutting means preferably comprises a pair of cutter members cooperatinglike a scissor. Said holding means preferably comprises two clampingmembers which cooperate in scissor-like manner.

The guide means, cutting means and holding means are preferably mountedon a slide which is movable in a guide extending transverse to theelongation of the track and can be shifted by well-known mechanical,electrical, pneumatic or hydraulic operating device. The slide can beconnected with said operating device via an actuating arm.

The slide may have mounted on it an arm which extends across the sleyand is pivotable about an axis which extends substantially parallel tothe direction of movement of the shuttle means and which can be actuatedby an appropriate device. The cutting members and the clamping memberscan be mounted on this arm for movement about at common axis whichextends substantially parallel to the first-mentioned axis, and withthese members also being guided on the slide by means of a guide rollerand an associated slotted guide track in such a manner that they aremoved to opened and closed position by the arm. That clamping member ofthe holding means which is closer to the edge of the fabric canadvantageously be made unitary with that cutting member which isfarther'from the edge of the fabric whereas the other clamping membercan be a clamping element or provided with a clamping element ofpermanent magnetic material which is connected with the first-mentionedclamping member by means of a leaf spring in such a manner that the twoclamping elements will be attracted to one another and held against oneanother when the holding means moves to a closed position.

The guide means is advantageously configurated as an eyelet andpreferably can be adjusted with reference to the slide, so that it canbe positioned depending upon the type of weft thread and shuttle in sucha manner that the weft thread is reliably engaged by the shuttle. Thepivotable arm can be an angular arm and be connected with a cylinderunit which is fluidoperated and secured to the slide.

The releasing device may have a portion which is pivotable against theaction of a biasing arrangement in the direction towards the fabric edgeand an actuating roller which is mounted on this portion for turningmovement about a pivot axis extending substantially normal to thedirection of movement of the shuttle, the roller cooperating with arelease element provided on the shuttle and moving the thread grippermeans of the shuttle to thread-releasing position when the shuttlepasses the roller on its way into the shuttle box.

The guide means, the cutting means, the holding means and the releasingmeans are advantageously mounted on supports which are made so that theycan be adjusted in the direction of advancement of the shuttle along thesley, the sley in this case is provided with recesses and with coverswhich cover those portions of the recesses which are not required. Inthis manner the devices necessary for supplying the weft thread to theshuttle, for releasing the weft thread and for cutting the weft threadcan be readily adjusted to accommodate the loom to a different widthfabric, without having to resort to long and complicated setups as isnecessary in the prior art.

The devices according to the present invention are provided mirrorsymmetrically at the left and righthand sides of the loom, and areactuated, preferably by cams mounted on the crankshaft, in dependenceupon the to-and-fro movement of the shuttle. In principle it issufficient, if the devices at the left-hand side and the right-hand sideof the loom operate in the same sense, but with a phase shift of 360crankshaft angle, so that the weft threads to be inserted arealternatingly drawn from stationary supplies located at opposite sidesof the loom and alternatingly inserted from the left-hand side and fromthe right-hand side. The inserted weft threads, which initially passfrom the supplies on crosswound bobbins or the like through conventionalthread brakes are cut closely adjacent the edge of the fabric.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the slide is moved to itsoperative position at a time between the entry of the approachingshuttle into the re mote end of the shed and its exit from theassociated shuttle box, and is moved to its retracted position at a timebetween the entry of the approaching shuttle into the shuttle box andthe exit of the leaving shuttle from the remote end of the shed. Thecutting device and the holding device move to open position at a timebetween the entry of the leaving shuttle into the shed and its exit fromthe remote end of the shed, and they move to closed position at a timebetween the subsequent beating-up of the weft thread and the exit of theapproaching shuttle out of the adjacent end of the shed.

Depending upon the construction of the shuttle the weft thread can bepresented to the same, that is moved to operative position, eitherduring the movement of the shuttle from the shuttle box to the fabricedge, or already during the movement of the shuttle from the fabric edgeinto the shuttle box. In the firstmentioned case the slide is moved toits operative position, in which the guide means guides the weft threadinto the path of the gripper means of the shuttle, only after theshuttle has entered into the shuttle box, and after the entry of theleaving shuttle into the shed it is moved to the retracted position. Inthe second embodiment the slide is moved to the operative position priorto the exit of the approaching shuttle from the shed, and it is movedinto the retracted position prior to the exit of the shuttle from theshuttle box. In this case the gripper means are opened sooner, so thatthe weft thread ends cut off by the cutting device can be keptparticularly short. The weft thread is held on its way through the shedin gripper means provided on the trailing end of the shuttle whichengages the weft thread on its way into the shuttle box, and inserts itinto the shed during its subsequent passage through the same.

According to another embodiment both slides are moved simultaneouslyinto operating position at a time between the entry of the shuttle intothe shuttle box and its exit out of the shuttle box, and both slides aremoved into retracted position at a time between the entry of the shuttleinto the shed and the exit of the shuttle out of the shed. Each of thecutting devices and the associated holding device may be moved to openposition at a time between the entry of the leaving shuttle into theshed and the subsequent beating-up, it may be moved to a closed positionat a time between the exit of the shuttle from the opposite shuttle boxand the exit of the approaching shuttle out of the shed.

The thread catcher can also perform the function of opening the grippermeans of the shuttle, that is the means which holds the weft thread onthe shuttle. This of course facilitates a simplification of the loomconstruction and reduces the amount of space required, because a singlemeans can perform two functions. Such a means can be arranged closelyadjacent to the edge of the fabric and can be adjusted rapidly andreliably between an operative position and a retracted position byturning it about a pivot axis. Because in this manner the engaging meansof the shuttles can be opened at a very small spacing from the edge ofthe fabric, the amount of lost weft thread which is cut off issubstantially reduced, and the construction of shuttle looms with asmall distance between the shuttle box and the edge of the fabric isgreatly facilitated.

The gripper shuttle is driven by well-known picking means back and forththrough the warp shed. More specificly the shuttle is driven byactuation of the picking means disposed at the left end of the sley fromthe left shuttle box through the opened warp shed into the shuttle boxdisposed at the right end of the sley. When passing out of the leftshuttle box the shuttle engages with its gripper means the weft threadpresented in their path between the left guide means and the leftholding means and inserts it into the warp shed. When the shuttle leavesthe right end of the warp shed the right releasing means open thegripper means to release the weft thread shortly after it has beenengaged by the right thread catcher. The shuttle enters the right handshuttle box and thereafter is driven back by the picking means at theright end of the sley to return through the warp shed. During its returnmovement the shuttle engages the weft thread presented by the rightguide means and inserts it into the warp shed. When the shuttle leavesthe warp shed on its leftward return movement the left releasing meansopen the gripper means to release the weft thread shortly after it hasbeen engaged by the left catcher. The movements of said picking means,said guide means, said cutting means, said holding means, said threadcatchers, and said releasing means are preferably effected by camfollowing means cooperating with respective cams mounted to thecrankshaft of the loom which drives the sley, the harnesses and theother parts of the loom in the usual way.

together with additional objects and advantages" thereof, will be bestunderstood from the following description of specific embodiments whenread in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a somewhat diagrammatictop-plan view of an arrangement according to the present invention,located at the left-hand end of a sley of a shuttle loom;

FIG. 2 is a somewhat diagrammatic front view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged diagrammatic view of the cutting and holdingdevice of the embodiment in FIGS. 1 and 2 seen in the direction of weftthread insertions, in one position;

FIG. 3a is a view similar to FIG. 3, but showing the same device in analternate position;

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic top-plan viewof FIG. 3; FIG. 5 is adiagrammatic front view of FIGS. 3 and FIG. 6 is an enlarged detail viewof a somewhat different embodiment of a shuttle;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the time sequence of operationaccording to one embodiment;

FIG. 8 resembles FIG. 7, but showing the time sequence of operationaccording to another embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic view of a thread catcher, seen in the directionof weft thread insertions;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged partial top-plan view of a further embodiment ofthe invention, the view resembling FIG. 1;

FIG. 11 is a section taken on lines XI-XI of FIG. 10, but with asomewhat different embodiment; and

FIG. 12 is an enlarged diagrammatic top-plan view of still a furtherembodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Discussing now the drawing indetail, and firstly referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, it will be seen that theillustrated weft thread inserting arrangement is provided at theleft-hand end of the sley 40 of a shuttle loom. The gripping shuttle 11is moved toand-fro on the track 41 provided at the upper side of thesley 40, into and out of the shuttle box 36 and through the warp shedwhich is formed by the warp thread 38 and guided by the reed 37. Theshuttle 11 engages the weft thread 39 which is supplied to it by thearrangements which are to be described subsequently, and inserts it intothe warp shed. After beating-up of the inserted weft thread by the reed37, the inserted weft thread portion is cut off closely adjacent to theedge 43 of the fabric being produced.

The shuttle 11 is provided with gripper members 18 and 19 which arelocated in a recess of the shuttle l1 and can be turned about pivots 20and 21, respectively. These gripper members 18 and 19 engage and holdthe weft thread 39. They are connected in the manner of a hinge by meansof a bolt 24 which turnably extends through both of them and is mountedon one of the members 18 and 19. It carries a release element 23 in formof a roller or cam surface. The members 18 and 19 are pressed in partagainst cooperating surface portions of the shuttle 11 by a spring 22.When the release element 23 is displaced in the direction of the arrowin FIG. 1, by an appropriate force, then the members 18 and 19 disengagefrom the cooperating surfaces of the shuttle 11, so that a weft thread39 which was previously held between one or the other of the members 18,I9 and the respectively cooperating surface, is now released. In theillustrated embodiment the weft thread 39 will be initially engaged asthe shuttle 11 moves towards the right, whereby the thread becomesclamped by the member 18. To disengage the members 18 and 19, areleasing device is provided on the sley 40 adjacent thediagrammatically indicated fabric 43. The releasing device comprises asubstantially Z-shaped member 26 fixed by a screw 260 to the supportplate 12 mounted to the side of the sley 40. Member 26 comprises at theother end thereof a vertical flange 26b. A vertical pivot 26a is fixedto the horizontal portion of member 26. A pivotable member 25 is mountedon pivot 26a for pivotal movement. Member 25 comprises at one endthereof a downwardly extending flange 25b. Member 25 further carries atthe other end thereof a vertical shaft 29a on which there is turnablysupported an actuating roller 29. A threaded bolt 28 is fixed to thevertical flange 26b of member 26. Said threaded bolt 28 extends throughan opening in the vertical flange 25b of member 25 and, in addition, issurrounded by a helical spring 27 which abuts with one end againstflange 25b of member 25. Thus, member 25 can be pivoted about pivot 26aagainst the force of spring 27 in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1.Accordingly, when the release element 23 of the shuttle 11 moves towardsthe right (as shown in FIG. 1) past the releasing device, the actuatingroller can yield in the direction of the arrow, because member 25carrying it can move to the position shown in broken lines. If theshuttle 11, however, moves out of the shed in opposite direction, thenthe member 25 carrying the actuating roller 29 cannot yield, because thevertical flange 25b thereof abuts in this case the actuating roller 29engages the release element 23 of shuttle l1 and shifts it in thedirection of the arrow associated with it (see FIG. 1 whereby both ofthe members 18 and 19 are pivoted about their respective pivots 20 and21 and release the weft thread To prevent a weft thread from snappingback into the shed after it has been released, under the influence ofits own tension, which is a danger that exists especially in the case ofmonofilaments, a braking member (not shown) of polyamide bristles can belocated adjacent the edge 43 to prevent such movement. This latter typeof member and its operation is well known in the art.

FIGS. 3-5 show particularly clearly that the weft thread 39 is suppliedto the shuttle 11 through a guide which is here configurated as aneyelet 1, and a holding device which together with a cutting device ismounted on a slide 9. The slide 9 can move in a guide transversely tothe direction of movement of the shuttle 11.

The cutting device has a cutting member 2a which is closer to the fabricedge 43 and cooperates with a further cutting member 2b. The holdingdevice has a clamping member 3a which is farther from the fabric edge 43and a cooperating clamping member 3b. In the illustrated embodiment themembers 2b and 3a are unitary, having a cutting edge and a clampingedge, but this is not necessary. The member 2a, the combined members 2band 3b and the member 3a are each configurated as angled lever and aremounted on a common pivot 6 which is provided on a pivot arm 7 that isin turn pivoted to the slide 9 and is pivotable about a shaft 7a locatedin a slot 10a of guide 10. The member 2a and the member 3a are providedat respective ones of their ends with the shaft of a common guide roller4a which is displaceably guided in a curved slotted track 4b of thecarrier 8. The combined members 2b and 3b are provided at their commonfree end with a slotted track 51) in which a roller 5a is slidablyguided which is mounted on the carrier 8. The arm 7 is an angled leverand provided at its lower end with a pivot which connects it with apiston rod of a hydraulically actuated cylinder unit 16 having fluidlines 16a, 16b which is mounted on the slide 9 by means of a mountingbracket 17. By activating the cylinder unit 16 which is located beneaththe sley 40, the arm 7 can be pivoted from the position of FIG. 3 to theposition of FIG. 3a, and the upper pivot 6 provided at the upper end ofthe arm 7 becomes displaced essentially normal to the track 41, so thatthe members 20 and 2b and the members 3a and 3b can be moved between aclosed position in which they are retracted into an upper recess 42 ofthe sley 40, and an open position in which they are located upwardly ofthe track 41 but below the guide 1. The position of the guide 1 can beadjusted, for which purpose the guide 1 is displaceably mounted on thecarrier 8, a set screw 65 being provided so that it can be set wheredesired.

In this construction the closure movement of the members 2a, 2b and ofthe members 3a, 3b takes place simultaneously. Because of this the weftthread 39, which is withdrawn from a non-illustrated supply spool via asimilarly non-illustrated thread brake to the guide I, and which extendsto the edge 43 and has been inserted into the shed in the previousoperation, is cut by the members 2a, 2b and at the same time is engagedand held by the members 3a and 3b. Subsequently,

downward pivoting of the arm 7 causes the members 2a, 2b and the members3a, 3b to be lowered beneath the plane of the upper surface of the track41 into the recess 42 of the sley 40, so that the weft thread 39 whichextends from the guide 1 to the members 3a, 3b moves to the operativeposition in which it can be engaged by the member 18 of the shuttle l1,clamped and taken along by the movement of the shuttle. The cutting andthe clamping of the weft thread 39 advantageously take place at a timein which the weft thread 39 which is to be cut extends parallel to thereed 37 from the fabric edge 43 to the guide 1.

During this operation the slide 9 is in its guide 10 in a position inwhich it is remote from the reed 37'. The displacement of the slide 9 inthe guide 10 takes place by an electromagnetic shifting device 13 in theillustrated embodiment, particularly a direct current reversible-strokemagnet whose electric leads are shown at 13a, via an angled arm 14 whichis pivoted to the slide 9 by means of a bracket 14a. The device 13 canbe directly controlled by an end switch from the flap of the shuttle box36. In this manner the slide 9 is shifted to its end position in whichit is closer to the read 37, only as the shuttle l1 enters into theshuttle box 36.

The cylinder unit 16 serving to pivot the arm 7 can be operated withcompressed air also. The control of the pressure medium can take placeby means of end switches and control cams which are not illustrated.When the cutting and holding devices located at opposite sides of theloom are tobe moved to operating position only during each secondcrankshaft rotation, then the cams must turn at half the rotation speedof the crankshaft and the projections of the control cams must be offsetthrough If the control is to be such, however, that the cutting andholding devices at both sides of the loom are to operate simultaneouslyfor movement to their operating position during each rotation of thecrankshaft (in which case they only supply a weft thread in alterationinto operating position) then the cams can rotate with the samerotational speed as the crankshaft and despite the doubled movement thisresults in a significant simplification of the control.

It is desirable that the arrangement according to the present inventionbe rapidly and simply adjustable for making fabrics of different widths.For this purpose the guide 10 of the slide 9, the device 25, the device13 and the mounting of the arm 14 are each mounted together on a support12 which in turn is mounted on the front side of the sley 40, to bedisplaceable longitudinally thereof. The recess 42, which is necessaryto permit the members 2a, 2b and the members 3a, 3b to be depressedbelow the plane of the track 41, is made of the necessary length andthat portion which is not being used at any particular time is coveredby a cover 45 which can also be adjusted longitudinally of the sley 40.

In FIG. 6 I have illustrated a somewhat different embodiment of theshuttle Ila. Here, the members 18a and 19a are operated by separaterelease elements 31 which are each mounted at one end of an associatedarm 30, the latter in turn being pivoted via a respective bolt 32 to theshuttle 11a. The members 18a and 19a are each in turn pivoted to therespective arms 30 via a pivot 33, and are also pivoted via pivots 34 tothe shuttle 11a. The arms 30 are pushed by springs 22 in the directionaway from the reed 37. The release elements 31 are actuated by theactuating roller 29 of the releasing device 25 against the force of therespective spring 22, in the manner described earlier, so that themembers 18a and 19a release. This construction has the advantage thatthe thread portions which occur when the weft thread is cut off, andwhich of course must be discarded, can be maintained shorter than in theother embodiment.

If it is desired to insert different types of weft threads 39, then acorresponding member of the guides must be located at each side of theloom in known manner, and each of these guides l is operated by.aconventional and well-known thread selecting device in the desiredmanner.

FIGS. 7 diagrammatically illustrates one way in which the arrangementaccording to the present invention can be operated. It will be seen thatthe slide 9 located at the left-hand side of the loom is moved fromoperating position into retracted position shortly after the entry ofthe shuttle 11 into the shed, and is moved out ofthe retracted positioninto the operating position shortly after the returning shuttle 11 hasmoved out of the shed. The associated left-hand cutting arrangement ismoved from closed position into opening position at the time at whichthe leaving shuttle moves out of the remote edge of the shed, and it ismoved from opening to closed position shortly before the returningshuttle moves into the shed. In this manner the cutting of the lastbeaten-up weft thread takes place at a time which, as seen with respectto the crankshaft angle, is approximately 90 after the beating-up; inother words, the crankshaft will have turned through approximately 90 bythat time. The slide and cutting arrangement located at the right-handside of the loom are operated analogously, with a phase shift of 360 ofcrankshaft angle.

A difierent mode of operation is illustrated in FIG. 8. The cuttingdevices located at the left-hand and the right-hand side of the loom areoperated in the manner described above. However, the slides located atthe opposite sides are each operated simultaneously to move before eachbeating-up into the operating position, and to be returned to theretracted position shortly before the rear dead-center position of thecrankshaft is reached. This means that each of the slide must be movedtwice as often as with the mode of operation described relative to FIG.7, but a significant simplification of the control devices necessary foreffecting the movement of the slides can be achieved in this manner.

If it is to be expected that the weft thread might snap back into theshed after it is released by the members 18 or 19, it is advantageous ifa thread catcher 46 is used, such as illustrated in FIG. 9. This ismoved via an arm 47 and a cylinder unit 48 into the full-line readyposition after the shuttle 11 has entered into the shed. The retractedposition which is shown in broken line is assumed by the thread catcher46 after the reed 37 has beaten-up the weft thread. The arm 47 ispivoted on the support 12 by means of a mount 49, and the catcher 46 ispivoted to the arm 47 and provided with a guide portion 50 which isguided for straight-line movement in a guide member 51 on the support12.

The shuttle l lashown in FIG. 6 holds the weft thread 39 which islocated at that end which is the forward end of the shuttle in thedirection of movement thereof.

The weft thread extends during insertion from the respective grippermember 18a or 19a to a thread guide 35, is taken over by the catcher 46immediately prior to disengagement by the respective member 18a or 19aand is maintained in taut condition until beating-up has taken place.Subsequently, the end of the portion of the thread 39 which is locatedin the shed is drawn automatically out of the catcher 46 as the sley 40retracts. According to FIG. 7, the control of the right-hand andleft-hand catchers 46 can take place with a phase-shift of 360 as seenwith respect to the rotation of the crankshaft. FIG. 8 shows a furtherpossibility of controlling the operation of the catchers 46, in whichcase both members at opposite sides of the loom are alwayssimultaneously moved either into the operating position or into theretracted position. The catchers 46 advantageously are provided with twosubstantially fun nel-shaped engaging portions 46a and 46b which arepressed together by a spring 53, as shown in FIG. 1.

Coming now to the embodiment in FIG. 10 it will be seen that here likereference numerals are identified with like components as in thepreceding embodiments. The sley is again identified with referencenumeral 30 and a support 12 is mounted on the front side of the sley,being adjustable longitudinally thereof. An arm 52, which extends acrossthe track 41, is provided on the support 12 adjacent the fabric edge 43.At the end of the arm there is provided a pivot 54 extending verticalwith respect to the track 41 and being located closely adjacent to thepath of movement of the shuttle 11a. A member 53, having approximatelythe shape of a sector of a circle, is pivoted on the pivot 54 andprovided with a slot 58 and a thread-engaging edge 55, for engaging thatportion of the thread 39 which is located between the member 19a and thethread guide 35 of the shuttle 11a. There is further provided a convexlycurved actuating edge 56 which is adjacent to the slot 58 and cooperateswith the release element 31' of the shuttle 11a.

At the side edge of the slot 58 which is opposite the edge 55 there ismounted a U-shaped clamping spring 57 the free end of which abuts theedge 55. A bore 76 is provided in the edge 55 and accommodates a guidepin 77 which extends through an elongated slit 78 of the spring 57. Atthe side of the pivot axis 54-which is opposite the slot 58, there isprovided an arm which is pivoted to the member 53 via a pin 71. Theslide 9 is provided with a projection 68 to which the opposite end ofthe arm 70 is pivoted by means of pivot 69.

In this manner the member 53 is so connected with the slide 9 thatduring movement of the slide 9 into the retracted position the member 53will move to its fullline operating position, whereas during movement ofthe member 9 into the operating position thereof the member 53 will moveinto the retracted position which is shown in broken lines in FIG. 10.The member 53 is always turned through an angle of between 60 and (90 inthe illustrated embodiment) through the pivot axis 54, and the edge 56which extends in the operating position of the member 53 into thelongitudinal slot of the shuttle 1 la, is pivoted out of the path ofmovement of the shuttle 11a when the member 53 is in the retractedposition.

FIG. 10 shows that the slot 58 of the member 53 extends in parallelismwith the direction of movement of the shuttle lla when member 53 is inthe operating position, so that that portion of the thread 39 whichextends between the gripper member 19a and the thread guide 35 acrossthe lateral longitudinal slot of the shuttle 11a will automaticallyenter into the slot 58 during the movement of the shuttle 11a past themember 53; in this slot it.will be frictionally engaged and retainedbetween the thread--engaging edge 55 and the spring 57. The pin 77prevents on the one hand an undesired displacement of the spring 57, andon the other hand a movement of the thread 39 past the free end of thespring 57. Because the pin 77 is guided in the slit 78 of the spring 57,the latter can freely shift in longitudinal direction relative to theedge 55, in the manner necessary to obtain the desired spring effect,but cannot move upwardly or downwardly off the edge 55. The grippermember 19 releases thread 39 only shortly after the latter has beeninserted between edge 55 and spring 57, since release element 31contacts the edge 56 only after such insertion has taken place.

FIG. 1 1 shows a somewhat different embodiment, illustrating that themember 53 can be operated by a separate control device. Here, a cylinder48 is mounted on the sley 40, having a piston rod which is pivoted bymeans of the pivot 80 to a double-arm lever 47 which in turn isjournalled in a bracket 49 on the support 12 and is provided at itsopposite end with a ball joint 69' by means of which it is connected tothe arm 70. Of course, the ball joint 69' could be replaced with anotherpivotable connection. When the piston rod of the cylinder 48 is extendedto the broken-line position shown in FIG. 11, the member 53 is movedfrom its operating position into its retracted position. FIG. 11 showsalso that the member 53 in the illustrated operating position willextend with its edge 56 into the lateral longitudinal slot of theshuttle 11, to an extent sufficient so that as the shuttle 11 moves pastthe member 53, the release element 31 will be engaged and brieflydepressed counter to the force of the spring 22, so that the member 19is moved to open position and disengages the weft thread 39. Theconfiguration and length of the release element 31 are so accommodatedto the configuration and length of the actuating edge 56 that the member19 will be maintained in released position sufficiently long to permit awithdrawal of the thread 39. In the embodiment of FIG. the releaseelement 31 is configurated as an elongated member having slightlyinclined receding abutment surfaces, but depending upon the particularrequirements of a given situation the configurations of the releaseelement 31 and the actuating edge 56 can also be chosen otherwise.

In the embodiments illustrated in the various Figures the member 53, aswell as the arrangement for moving the weft thread 39 to engagingposition, the guide 1 and the associated operating devices are eachmounted on a common support 12, which is longitudinally adjustable atthe front side of the sley 40, all of thesedevices can be rapidly andsimply moved so that they are located closely adjacent the fabric edge43, simply by adjusting the support 12, if and when the width of thefabric being produced has to be changed.

In operation appropriate activation of the actuating devices assuresthat the member 53 is turned to the operating position before thereturning shuttle 11 moves out of the shed, and is turned to theretracted position intermediate the time of beating-up and the exit ofthe shuttle 11 from the shuttle box 36. The control can be carried outby means of end switches and earns which are not illustrated. Becauseeach of the members 53 must be maintained in the operating position onlyin the time between the emergence of the returning shuttle 11 out of theshed and the subsequently following beating-up procedure the member 53located at the left-hand side of the loom and the member 53 located atthe right-hand side of the loom are operated only during very secondcrankshaft rotation, with the operation of one member being time-delayedwith respect to the operation of the other member by one crankshaftrotation. However, the control can be further simplifled if both of themembers 53 are simultaneously moved to the operating position before theshuttle 11 moves out of the shed, and if they both are moved to theretracted position between the time of beating-up and the movement ofthe shuttle out of one of the shuttle boxes 36. In this case each of themembers 53 must be moved between operating and retracted position twiceas often as otherwise, but a considerable simplification in the controlsis obtained.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or twoor more together, may also find a useful application in other types ofconstructions differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in ashuttle loom, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown,since various modifications and structural changes may be made withoutdeparting in any way from the spirit of the present invention. I

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist ofthe present invention that others can by applying current knowledgereadily adapt it for various applications without omitting featuresthat, from the standpoint of prior art fairly constitute essentialcharacteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this inventionand, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to becomprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of thefollowing claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent isset forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a shuttle loom, a combination comprising a sley, a shuttle trackon said sley, at least one shuttle having gripper means for releasablyengaging a weft thread to be inserted by said shuttle into a warp shed,guide means for guiding a weft thread drawn from a weft thread supplyinto the path of said gripper means of said shuttle, cutting means forcutting the inserted weft thread so as to sever an inserted portionthereof from a supply portion, holding means for holding the severedsupply portion, releasing means for opening said gripper means so as torelease the engaged weft thread, mounting means mounting said guidemeans, cutting means and holding means on said sley for common movementtransverse to said track between a laterally retracted position and anoperative position in which the guide means are located above the pathof said shuttle on said track, and said cutting means and said holdingmeans are located below said guide means for movement between an openposition located in the path of movement of said shuttle, and a closedposition located below the path of movement of said shuttle.

2. A combination as defined in claim 1, wherein said cutting meanscomprises a pair of cutter members which cooperate with one anotheranalogously to scissors, and wherein said holding means comprises twoclamping members which move relative to each other in scissor-likemanner, said members being movable in the operative position betweenrespective open positions in which they are located in the path ofmovement of said shuttle, and respective closed positions in which theyare retracted into a recess formed in said sley.

3. A combination as defined in claim 2, wherein said mounting meanscomprises a slide which is movable transverse to said track, and guidemeans guiding said slide.

4. A combination as defined in claim 3; and further comprising meansmounting said guide means for adjustment relative to said slide.

5. A combination as defined in claim 3; and further comprising movingmeans for effecting the movement of said slide.

6. A combination as defined in claim 5, wherein said moving meanscomprises an electromagnetic device, and an arm connecting said devicewith said slide.

7. A combination as defined in claim 5; further comprising a pivot armon said slide and pivotable about a first axis extending substantiallyparallel to said track; pivot means mounting said members on said pivotarm for pivotal movement about a second axis substantially parallelingsaid first axis and common to all of said members, and a guidearrangement guiding said members on said slide for movement between saidopen and closed positions in response to pivoting of said pivot armabout said first axis.

8. A combination as defined in claim 7, wherein the loom weaves a fabrichaving a free edge, and wherein one of said cutter members is closer toand one of said clamping members is farther from said free edge than therespective other cutter and clamping members; and wherein said onemembers together constitute a unitary element.

9. A combination as defined in claim 7, wherein one of said clampingmembers comprises an element of permanently magnetic material, andfurther comprising a leaf spring connecting said magnetic element withsaid one clamping member so that said magnetic element is attractedagainst said other clamping member in said closing position.

10. A combination as defined in claim 7, wherein said pivot arm is anangled lever; and further comprising a pressure-fluid operated cylinderunit mounted on said slide and connected with said angled lever foreffecting the pivoting of the same.

11. A combination as defined in claim 2; wherein said releasing meanscomprise an actuating element mounted on said sley, and said shuttlecomprises a release element cooperating with said actuating element inresponse to the passage of said shuttle past said actuating element soas to transmit an opening motion to said gripper means of said shuttle.

12. A combination as defined in claim 11, wherein said actuating meanscomprises a pivotable member mounted on said sley for pivotaldisplacement in the direction of movement of said shuttle means duringinsertion of said weft thread, a biasing member resiliently resistingsaid pivotal displacement, and a roller member mounted on said pivotablemember for turning movement about an axis substantially normal to saiddirection of movement and being arranged to engage actuating elementduring movement of said shuttle means opposite to said direction.

13. A combination as defined in claim 11, wherein said guide means,cutting means, holding means and releasing means are all mounted on acommon support which is adjustable longitudinally of said track, saidsley is provided with at least one recess extending a sufficient lengthalong said track, and there are further provided cover means forcovering those portions of said recesses which are not required for themovement of said cutting means and said holding means.

14. A combination as defined in claim 11; further comprising threadcatching means mounted on said sley between the free edge of the fabricand the shuttle box and adapted to catch said weft thread engaged insaid gripper means prior to the opening thereof at a thread portionextending between said gripper means and a thread guide element of saidgripper shuttle, and

to hold said weft thread portion until beating-up of the inserted weftthread.

15. A combination as defined in claim 14, wherein said catching means isadapted to act also as the actuating element.

16. A combination as defined in claim 15; and further comprising meansfor turning said plate-shaped element about said turning axis.

17. A combination as defined in claim 15, wherein said catching meanscomprises a plate-shaped element having a slot for entry of said weftthread which is bonded by a lateral thread-contacting edge, and aconvexly curved actuating edge for actuating said release element, saidplate-shaped element being turnable about a turning axis normal to saidtrack through substantially 60-90.

18. A combination as defined in claim 17, wherein said plate-shapedelement substantially resembles a sector of a circle, said slot beinglocated at one side of said turning axis, and said plate-shaped elementfurther having an edge portion located at the opposite side of saidturning axis and extending transverse to said slot.

19. A combination as defined in claim 17; and further comprising aclamping spring at said slot for engaging and frictionally clamping saidweft thread therein.

20. A combination as defined in claim 19, wherein said clamping springis U-shaped and mounted on an edge bounding said slot which is locatedopposite said thread-contacting edge.

21. A combination as defined in claim 19, said plateshaped elementhaving a bore formed in said threadcontacting edge, and said clampingspring having an arm formed with an elongated slit; and furthercomprising a pin received in said bore and extending into said lit. 8 k

1. In a shuttle loom, a combination comprising a sley, a shuttle trackon said sley, at least one shuttle having gripper means for releasablyengaging a weft thread to be inserted by said shuttle into a warp shed,guide means for guiding a weft thread drawn from a weft thread supplyinto the path of said gripper means of said shuttle, cutting means forcutting the inserted weft thread so as to sever an inserted portionthereof from a supply portion, holding means for holding the severedsupply portion, releasing means for opening said gripper means so as torelease the engaged weft thread, mounting means mounting said guidemeans, cutting means and holding means on said sley for common movementtransverse to said track between a laterally retracted position and anoperative position in which the guide means are located above the pathof said shuttle on said track, and said cutting means and said holdingmeans are located below said guide means for movement between an openposition located in the path of movement of said shuttle, and a closedposition located below the path of movement of said shuttle.
 2. Acombination as defined in claim 1, wherein said cutting means comprisesa pair of cutter members which cooperate with one another analogously toscissors, and wherein said holding means comprises two clamping memberswhich move relative to each other in scissor-like manner, said membersbeing movable in the operative position between respective openpositions in which they are located in the path of movement of saidshuttle, and respective closed positions in which they are retractedinto a recess formed in said sley.
 3. A combination as defined in claim2, wherein said mounting means comprises a slide which is movabletransverse to said track, and guide means guiding said slide.
 4. Acombination as defined in claim 3; and further comprising means mountingsaid guide means for adjustment relative to said slide.
 5. A combinationas defined in claim 3; and further comprising moving means for effectingthe movement of said slide.
 6. A combination as defined in claim 5,wherein said moving means comprises an electromagnetic device, and anarm connecting said device with said slide.
 7. A combination as definedin claim 5; further comprising a pivot arm on said slide and pivotableabout a first axis extending substantially parallel to said track; pivotmeans mounting said members on said pivot arm for pivotal movement abouta second axis substantially paralleling said first axis and common toall of said members, and a guide arrangement guiding said members onsaid slide for movement between said open and closed positions inresponse to pivoting of said pivot arm about said first axis.
 8. Acombination as defined in claim 7, wherein the loom weaves a fabrichaving a free edge, and wherein one of said cutter members is closer toand one of said clamping members is farther from said free edge than therespective other cutter and clamping members; and wherein said onemembers together constitute a unitary element.
 9. A combination asdefined in claim 7, wherein one of said clamping members comprises anelement of permanently magnetic material, and further comprising a leafspring connecting said magnetic element with said one clamping member sothat said magnetic element is attracted against said other clampingmember in said closing position.
 10. A combination as defined in claim7, wherein said pivot arm is an angled lever; and further comprising apressure-fluid operated cylinder unit mounted on said slide andconnected with said angled lever for effecting the pivoting of the same.11. A combination as defined in claim 2; wherein said releasing meanscomprise an actuating element mounted on said sley, and said shuttlecomprises a release element cooperating with said actuating element inresponse to the passage of said shuttle past said actuating element soas to transmit an opening motion to said gripper means of said shuttle.12. A combination as defined in claim 11, wherein said actuating meanscomprises a pivotable member mounted on said sley for pivotaldisplacement in the direction of movement of said shuttle means duringinsertion of said weft thread, a biasing member resiliently resistingsaid pivotal displacement, and a roller member mounted on said pivotablemember for turning movement about an axis substantially normal to saiddirection of movement and being arranged to engage actuating elementduring movement of said shuttle means opposite to said direction.
 13. Acombination as defined in claim 11, wherein said guide means, cuttingmeans, holding means and releasing means are all mounted on a commonsupport which is adjustable longitudinally of said track, said sley isprovided with at least one recess extending a sufficient length alongsaid track, and there are further provided cover means for coveringthose portions of said recesses which are not required for the movementof said cutting means and said holding means.
 14. A combination asdefined in claim 11; further comprising thread catching means mounted onsaid sley between the free edge of the fabric and the shuttle box andadapted to catch said weft thread engaged in said gripper means prior tothe opening thereof at a thread portion extending between said grippermeans and a thread guide element of said gripper shuttle, and to holdsaid weft thread portion until beating-up of the inserted weft thread.15. A combination as defined in claim 14, wherein said catching means isadapted to act also as the actuating element.
 16. A combination asdefined in claim 15; and further comprising means for turning saidplate-shaped element about said turning axis.
 17. A combination asdefined in claim 15, wherein said catching means comprises aplate-shaped element having a slot for entry of said weft thread whichis bonded by a lateral thread-contacting edge, and a convexly curvedactuating edge for actuating said release element, said plate-shapedelement being turnable about a turning axis normal to said track throughsubstantially 60*-90*.
 18. A combination as defined in claim 17, whereinsaid plate-shaped element substantially resembles a sector of a circle,said slot being located at one side of said turning axis, and saidplate-shaped element further having an edge portion locateD at theopposite side of said turning axis and extending transverse to saidslot.
 19. A combination as defined in claim 17; and further comprising aclamping spring at said slot for engaging and frictionally clamping saidweft thread therein.
 20. A combination as defined in claim 19, whereinsaid clamping spring is U-shaped and mounted on an edge bounding saidslot which is located opposite said thread-contacting edge.
 21. Acombination as defined in claim 19, said plate-shaped element having abore formed in said thread-contacting edge, and said clamping springhaving an arm formed with an elongated slit; and further comprising apin received in said bore and extending into said slit.